Strikeforce middleweight mauler Joey Villasenor will take a short hiatus from his duties in San Jose to throw leather with former UFC banger Drew McFedries on the Shark Fights 13: "Jardine vs. Prangley" card on Sept. 11 from the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas.

MMAWeekly brought word of the pending match-up on Saturday.

"Smokin'" Joe (27-7) saw his four-fight win streak come to an end at the hands (and limbs) of Ronaldo Souza at the Strikeforce: "Heavy Artillery" event back on May 15. "Jacare" was unable to submit the Greg Jackson disciple but did enough damage to take home the unanimous decision win.

Villasenor has been around the block a few times, competing just about everywhere except the UFC over the span of eleven years. Despite his prowess in the striking department, he's also registered 10 of his 27 wins by way of submission.

That may be an asset against the hard-hitting McFedries.

While he is unquestionably heavy-handed, "Massacre" (8-6) has coughed up four of his six losses to the tap, including his most recent defeat at the hands of Tomasz Drwal (rear naked choke) at UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort" last September.

McFedries left the Octagon with a record of 4-5 and was unable to break through to the next level, due largely to his ignorance of the ground game, despite showing flashes of greatness on his feet.

Don't expect him to be in any hurry to get this thing to the ground on Sept. 11.

Shark Fights 13 will be headlined by "The Dean of Mean," Keith Jardine, as he tangles with well-traveled MMA veteran Trevor Prangley. Also on tap is another light heavyweight war between Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Houston Alexander.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on this still-developing fight card.

(As fighter highlight-reels go, this one's pretty awful. But how 'bout that flying knee KO at 2:44?)

Rejoice! The UFC returns from its four-week hiatus this coming Sunday, when UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko goes down at the San Diego Sports Arena. (Versus, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT) The only newcomer on the card is Brazilian prospect Charles Oliveira, who will be putting his undefeated record on the line against Darren Elkins — who won his own UFC debut in March when Duane Ludwig's ankle exploded. Does Charles have what it takes to make it in the big leagues? Get to know him below and let us know what you think...

CHARLES OLIVEIRA (LW)
Experience: 12-0 record (6 KO/TKOs, 5 submissions), primarily in Brazilian promotions. Last competed in a four-man tournament at a Warriors Challenge event in February, where he defeated Rosenildo Rocha by rear-naked choke and Diego Bataglia by slam-knockout. It was the third multi-fight tourney that Oliveira has won during his career. He made his pro debut in March 2008, sweeping an eight-man tournament at a Predador FC event, then cruised through a four man bracket later that year at Korea Fight 1. So fighting just one guy in a night is like a day off for him.

Will be facing: Darren Elkins (12-1, 1-0 UFC)

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Photo by Dave Mandel via Sherdog.com

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Our own Jonathan Snowden walked right up to the hornet's nest and gave it a big whack yesterday when he opined that, "Sarah Kaufman's Dramatic Knockout (Was) Not Enough for Strikeforce Diva". In the interest of fairness (and of squeezing a little more juice out of the debate) here are some counter views.

First off, Matt Bishop of MMA for Real was about the only writer online who was protesting Kaufman's treatment before the fight:

For a group that is supposed to be the leading national promoter of female mixed martial arts in the United States, they sure are treating the women with disrespect.

To see this, you need look no further than Friday's "Strikeforce Challengers" event in Everett, Wash.

The card, which features a Strikeforce women's welterweight championship fight between Sarah Kaufman and Roxanne Modafferi, is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Shane del Rosario and Lolohea Mahe.

That's right, a fight featuring one of Strikeforce's championships is not going on last, continuing the pattern of disrespect shown by Strikeforce and Showtime to its women's division, and in particular Kaufman, who after winning her title in the main event of a Challengers show, is back defending on a Challengers show and isn't even in the main event.

And afterwards, Bishop joined in Kaufman's post fight celebration:

Relegated to the co-main event on a Challengers show, Sarah Kaufman had no choice but to make a big statement in order to improve her standing on the Strikeforce/Showtime hierarchy.

Friday, she did just that.

Kaufman emphatically knocked out Roxanne Modaffari with a head-smashing slam, retaining her Strikeforce women's welterweight championship at "Strikeforce Challengers 9" in Everett, Wash., and earning her way onto a big Strikeforce show in the future.

It's clear earning a spot on a big show was first-and-foremost on Kaufman's mind during her post-fight interview, as one of the first things out of her mouth was how she now deserves to be on the big show.

And she absolutely does. She deserved it even before this win just for being a world champion if nothing else. Now, she's notched her most impressive win against the No. 1 contender.

The ball's in Strikeforce's court now. Will they continue to enrage Kaufman and spit on their own championship by relegating her to Challengers show? Or will they do the prudent thing? The answer seems simple, but simple often is not simple when talking about Strikeforce.

Donna from Gals Guide to MMA commented:

One of the problems that I see here is the fact that Strikeforce created the welterweight division without the talent to back it up. BUT, they did create the division, so they should be promoting it as they do every other championship fight. By giving this fight a back seat, they're kinda saying that it doesn't matter all that much. If the organization doesn't care about it, why should we?

And then former BE FanPoster turned Watch Kalib Run front pager Black Lesnar (yes I'm a proud poppa of a brand new blogger!) went straight after Snowden:

As an organization, you show commitment to your champions otherwise your belts become worthless. This is not the first time Scott Coker has shown a lack of brainpower in dealing with championships. We all know his 185 lb champion Jake Shields was allowed to go unsigned, his Women's 145 lb champ "Cyborg" Santos fought a journey-woman fighter with a .500 record, Brett Rogers was allowed to compete for the Heavyweight title after coming off a loss and a catch-weight bout was set up between Babalu Sobral and Robbie Lawler to determine the next contender for two different titles and the winner of the match declined to fight the champion.

In Snowden's quest for page views, he over-analyzes a post-fight interview by a frustrated champion who feels she is being under-appreciated. She isn't "throwing [anyone] under the bus", she just wants to be featured in a way that a champion should. She also knows that her on a bigger card means a) more money in her pocket and b) more eyeballs on the burgeoning sport of Women's MMA. Scott Coker has expressed the sentiment numerous times that he is fully committed to the sport of Women's MMA, well he needs to start acting like it.

Personally, having sat through the entire five round snoozefest that was Kaufman's previous Strikeforce fight, I was just glad to see her get a dramatic win. And as a fan I have to say I was more interested in the Del Rosario fight going in and was happy it was the headliner. But after Kaufman's dramatic slam KO win, I'm much more open to seeing her at the top of a card next time.

More BE coverage of Strikeforce Challengers IX

"I'm super excited to fight a real fighter. A guy that is not going to run away from me. A guy that was brought up fighting. I like to fight the real fighters, there's very few left in the sport today and KJ is definitely one of them."

"We're going to brawl. He's got outstanding footwork and boxing skills. I really believe KJ Noons was brought in as a hired gun to fight for the title [champion Gilbert Melendez]."

Aug 21st on Showtime:
- Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante [LHW title]
- Tim Kennedy vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza [MW title]
- Jorge Gurgel vs. K.J. Noons
- Bobby Lashley vs. Chad Griggs

"Jon just burst onto the scene but has looked so exciting in all his fights. I'm not privy to the thinking of Dana [White] on the matter, but Jon Jones is certainly one of those guys with a lot of expectation who Dana and Joe [Silva] will have to nurture in the correct way. A victory over Vladimir Matyushenko would already put Jones at the top and closing in on a title shot. He would probably be two or three fights away, and if he keeps winning it will be very hard to keep him from walking through that Octagon door to a title shot. Jon's got a great temperament, nobody is really pissed off by him, and he has plenty of people wanting to work out the mystery of how to beat him."

UFC UK President Marshall Zelaznik boards the "Bones" bandwagon (via ESPN.co.uk) in anticipation of Jon Jones' fight against Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC on Versus 2 on Aug. 1 in San Diego. The dynamic light heavyweight prospect has laid waste to the promotion's 205-pound division and made several veteran opponents, including Stephan Bonnar, Matt Hamill (DQ notwithstanding) and Brandon Vera look completely outmatched in the process. Is a light heavyweight title shot a foregone conclusion? Or will "The Janitor" run him down with his cleaning cart on Sunday night?

Just days before his UFC on Versus 2 main event against Jon Jones, well-traveled mixed martial arts veteran Vladimir Matyushenko (24-4) stops by Pro MMA Radio TONIGHT (July 26) at 9 p.m. ET right here on MMAmania.com.

"The Janitor" will talk about his role as the underdog in San Diego, what he expects against "Bones" when they hook 'em up on Aug. 1, the difference between the UFC now and when he first competed for them in 2002 and much, much more.

Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names right here on MMAmania.com every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET through our exclusive live feed.

Live feed begins tonight at 9 p.m. ET after the jump.

Pro MMA Radio will begin playing automatically. Press (||) to turn it off.

Four main-card fights including a world title fight have been secured to heighten the already talent-laden lineup for MFC 26: Retribution.

The event, which will be held in Westman Place at the Keystone Centre in Brandon , Manitoba , Canada , and air live on HDNet Fights, features a co-main event pitting MFC lightweight champion Antonio "Mandingo" McKee (24-3-2) against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Luciano Azevedo (16-8).

The savvy veteran McKee has not lost since 2003 but has garnered a reputation for dragging fights out. With a new aggressive mindset, McKee has declared he will retire from mixed martial arts if Azevedo lasts five rounds against him in a quest for the 155-pound championship belt.

"I've said before that I will fight differently but I was still cautious. Not anymore. I am going to destroy Azevedo ... I will mess him up. If it goes to a decision, I will leave my gloves in the ring and walk away," touted McKee, who trains out of Lakewood , California .

Azevedo, a native of Rio de Janeiro , is an accomplished competitor, and the only fighter to earn a victory over world-renowned featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. When the two met in 2005, Azevedo scored a rear-naked choke victory - a crowning achievement for the 26-year-old who just four months later would go on to defeat reputed striker Din Thomas.

Azevedo, who will be making his debut on North American soil at MFC 26, has won six of his last eight fights and holds 12 submission victories in his career.

Two spectacular middleweights will also see action at MFC 26 as brash British star Tom "Kong" Watson (12-3) clashes with former reality show standout Jesse "JT Money" Taylor (15-6).

Watson is an extremely gifted striker who flashed his wares in his organizational debut, scoring a first-round, head-kick knockout over Travis Galbraith at MFC 24 back in December. The Southampton, England, native has won eight straight fights and will be well-prepared for encounter with Taylor as he trains alongside Georges St. Pierre in Montreal.

Taylor , meanwhile, will be looking to get on a winning streak of his own, having won two of his last three. The Murrieta, California, product earned victories over Jason Day and veteran Murilo Bustamante in recent bouts, but sandwiched in between was a first-round submission defeat at the hands of Thales Leites in the main event of MFC 25 this past May.

In a light heavyweight battle, rugged sluggers Dwayne Lewis and Wilson Gouveia will meet in a pivotal matchup to see who remains in the mix of the MFC's 205-pound division. Lewis (11-5) had a seven-fight win streak snapped at MFC 25 when he dropped a three-round decision to former MFC light heavyweight champ Emanuel Newton.

But the Fort McMurray , Alberta , product has shown plenty of resiliency throughout his career, and knockout power as well, having finished off five opponents during that winning streak including rival heavy-hitter Marvin Eastman.

Gouveia (12-8), the American Top Team representative from Fort Lauderdale , Florida , also is in dire need of win as he too was beaten at MFC 25, dropping a one-sided decision to Ryan Jimmo. The native Brazilian does have an impressive list of beaten foes on his resume including Jon Fitch, Jason MacDonald, Jason Lambert, and Seth Petruzelli.

The live televised card on HDNet will kick off with a showdown between two tough-minded rivals as "King" Solomon Hutcherson takes on David Heath. A native of Milwaukee , Wisconsin , Hutcherson (11-6) is another reality show standout who is looking to squarely solidify his position in the MFC's middleweight ranks.

Heath (15-6), who will be making his debut at 185 pounds, has collided with numerous big names in the light heavyweight ranks, and the Tulsa , Oklahoma , resident was part of the MFC's 2009 Fight of the Year.

Two more main-card bouts including the other half of the co-main event for MFC 26 will be announced shortly.